! Buyers Beware !

[1965rivgs]

There is an LX `65 Riv running on Ebay right now. Dont know how to post a link (sorry). I would strongly suggest if anyone is interested or actively bidding on this car to be careful. I have no desire to resurrect the Riviera Police or bash anyone`s car but....the VIN number is very low and the body build date is late in the model year....something`s not right ??? [img]<>/smirk.gif[/img]

Tom Mooney

[BadgerRivFan]

Here's a link to the car in question...

eBay '65 for sale

[1965rivgs]

Thanks Al...I intended to at least provide the auction number in my original post but I was already late getting to the dinner table and neglected to do so...thanks again,

Tom Mooney

[Gee_Rydes]

Tom,
May I ask what numbers the 65 Riv VINs started with?

Is it safe to assume it is 900000 and this is the 4947th car built?

[1965rivgs]

Hi Dave,
Yes, but Buick started the numerical sequence at 900,000 for the Wildcat models also so it is impossible to say which of the 4,947 were Rivieras and which were Wildcats.

Tom Mooney

[Gee_Rydes]

Tom,
So between 2 different model runs this was only number 4947?

Didn't they make almost 100,000 Wildcats alone? If my math serves me right, that would be about 11,000 cars (between those 2 models). That would mean this one would have been built somewhere in the first 2 weeks of the 1965 model year using over-simplified math. Not exactly 07D, huh?

I now can see why you very diplomatically stated "something's not right".

[Jim_Cannon]

Guys, what about 06D being the last week of July of *1964* at the very start of the 1965 model year??? Why not???

[Riviera66]

Originally Posted By: Jim_Cannon

Guys, what about 06D being the last week of July of *1964* at the very start of the 1965 model year??? Why not???

Well, for one thing, the Fisher Body # would be like 6000 at the start of a model year and not 283,514. Start times varied from year to year, but is typically very late August or early September.

Darwin Falk
ROA#2077

[imported_tim63riv]

Guys,
From what I remember about the dates for model year change and new model year introduction:
Sometime in late May or early June was the cut off date for dealers or customers to order current model year cars.
Late June to early July was "build out" of the current model. This meant filling orders and building cars for dealer stock. Some strange color and option combinations came out of "build out!"
July to August was change over (length of time depended on the amount of change over the plant needed, i.e. 65 to 66 Riviera, MAJOR change, 67 to 68 Riviera, not so much!)
SOP (start of production) was August for a September new model release.
That is the way I remember it from Oldsmobile in the 1970's, I doubt that Buick dates were much different.
For What It's Worth!
Tim

[ewing]

with a ser # 5H904947, doesn't the letter H signify a 1961 engine and model year car?
How can this be a correct 65 Riv #?

[RivNut]

I think that 64 was the last year for the Number/Letter system (J7 was J for 63, and 7 for Riviera, K7 was the same for a '64 Riviera.)

Starting in '65 they went to the 5 for '65, H for Flint, and then the serial number after that.

Ed

[imported_tim63riv]

John,
The engine code on this Riviera is a LX, indicating a 65 425 with 2x4 barrel carbs. The serial number doesn't give any indication of engine displacement, but it does match the serial number of the car. This Riv may turn out to be a decent piece, but originality and authenticity would be question marks.
Tim

[Gee_Rydes]

John,
I believe the H denoting the year is on the other side of the T Stat and part of a 2 letter designation, not the VIN

[RivNut]

In 1965, Buick started using a different type of VIN than they had previously when the model was represented by a number (7=Rivera) and the year was represented by a letter (J='63, and K=64.) Both my '63 and '64 have these type VIN numbers. So,the 5H is correct for 1965. 5 is the model year and H means the final assembly plant was in Flint, MI.

I had a question about this as well and made the same assumption, but when I looked at the VIN on my '66 engine, it had a 6H in it, it also has a 94 in it which represents the Riviera. On the other side of the block the engine code is MW ('66 425) I used to have the car that went with the engine and it was a numbers matching car.

On my next next thread to this post is a page from a 66 chassis manual that shows how to decode this VIN.

Ed

[RivNut]

Here's the copy of the '66 Chassis manual with illustrations and text for the VIN numbers and pictures of the front of a block showing engine codes and VIN location.

Ed